PCSO Pete Outen handed Shoreham Football Club chairman Stuart Slaney a cheque for £400 at the Middle Road ground last Saturday.

Mr Slaney said: “This is great as this will help towards our children’s football teams, training equipment and training expenses.

“Peter Outen, our Police Community Support Officer, was the sole person who organised this funding award, which again is great to see, the local police getting involved in local community organisations.”

We believe that rugby instils respect, teamwork and a healthy lifestyle

Sophia Wilks, fundraising manager, Shoreham Rugby Club

The club said the money would help to fund kit for a new girls’ team.

Sophia Wilks, fundraising manager, explained: “As per RFU regulations, girls are not permitted to play mixed rugby beyond the under-12 age group. There are few girls rugby teams and we at Shoreham believe that everyone should be allowed to participate regardless of gender.

“Many of our current girls have male siblings within the club and to save parents a logistic nightmare and the likely chance that these girls may cease to play, we would like to start a girls team at Shoreham, offering the opportunity to carry on with the game of rugby. We believe that rugby instils respect, teamwork and a healthy lifestyle.”

Coach Nigel Wilks, the club’s vice-chairman, will run summer training at the club’s home ground, in Buckingham Park, with the team being formed by the start of the rugby season in September.

The club will be promoting the new team at many upcoming events, including the Adur Family Fun Day at Adur Recreation Ground on May 31, where members we will be hosting ‘just for fun tag rugby matches’.

The club’s own RugbyForce annual fun day will follow on June 27, when the aim is for people to celebrate and socialise with a fayre and rugby-themed games.

Sussex Police said: “The donations come from the Police Property Act Fund, made up of monies received by the police from property confiscated by order of the court and then sold.”